Dater: Mack's Magic Night Cinches Hart

He'll win in a landslide

Right now at most sportsbooks, Nathan MacKinnon is -450 to win the next Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player. That means you’d have to bet $450 to win $100 in profit - $550 total. Nikita Kucherov of Tampa Bay is +450, meaning you’d win a $450 profit on a successful $100 bet on him.

MacKinnon is going to win. As I noted in a previous column, there could still be some “homer” media issues with players who play out east, but that column was based more on Auston Matthews than Kucherov.

Kucherov maintains a stain on his image, for one thing, for magically getting healthy again just as the playoffs started in 2021. He missed most of the regular season (2020-21) and the Lightning got serious cap relief, then Kucherov skated and practiced with the team for two MONTHS, but still wasn’t deemed healthy enough to return in the regular season. But, voila, there he was in Game 1 of the first round, scoring points and helping win the Lightning win a Stanley Cup that many in the game still believe is tainted.

Kucherov maintains a two-point scoring lead (139-137) over MacKinnon for the NHL lead. But everybody knows MacKinnon has had a more dynamic season than Kucherov and deserves the Hart over anybody.